Upton hits first 2 homers in Tigers uniform

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Justin Upton took a while to hit his first home run in a Tigers uniform, but he made it a big one, then another, hitting two tape-measure drives to the depths of Bright House Field in the Tigers' 6-5 win on Saturday against the Phillies.

Upton, signed in January to a six-year contract, entered Saturday batting 7-for-37 (.189) this spring with one extra-base hit, two RBIs, eight walks and 15 strikeouts. He went 4-for-4 on Saturday.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Justin Upton took a while to hit his first home run in a Tigers uniform, but he made it a big one, then another, hitting two tape-measure drives to the depths of Bright House Field in the Tigers' 6-5 win on Saturday against the Phillies.

Upton, signed in January to a six-year contract, entered Saturday batting 7-for-37 (.189) this spring with one extra-base hit, two RBIs, eight walks and 15 strikeouts. He went 4-for-4 on Saturday.

A first-inning offspeed pitch from Phillies lefty James Russell set up Upton for by far his best result this spring. Upton sent the ball over the left-field tiki bar and nearly out of the park altogether. The ball landed against the back fence as Upton rounded the bases, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

"I was just reacting," Upton said. "That's a plus when you're seeing the ball well, even the offspeed pitches. That's part of the plan."

An opposite-field single next time up earned Upton his second multihit game this spring. He punctuated the afternoon by pummeling a Luis Garcia pitch to the deepest part of the park, just to the left of the center-field batter's eye. Again, Upton cleared the berm, hitting the walkway behind it. The ball bounced over the back fence and into a parking lot beyond.

Upton's fourth hit of the day was a single in eighth, before he was replaced by pinch-runner Ben Verlander, who came around to score.

If 800-plus feet of home runs are a sign of Upton heating up, he's doing so at just about the right time. The Tigers open their regular season in 10 days in Miami.

"You want to get it going anytime that you can," Upton said. "If you can get it going later and ride it into the season, it's nice."